Johnson chosen as local winner in the “It Can Wait” texting and driving editorial contest

Posted on Thursday, November 14, 2013 at 9:12 am

Breanna Johnson

October 16, 2013

One moment you’re texting your friend on the way home, the next second you’re lying paralyzed in a hospital bed fighting for your life. Hour after hour, hearing the people cry. Pouring their feeling out to one another to cope with the feelings of guilt and pain. The 10 seconds that it took you to send a text have impacted you for the rest of your life. What you thought as an innocent, quick little text will now haunt you for the rest of your life. The dangers of texting and driving are numerous but the hurting people that you leave behind are more. Many teenagers take the chance to possibly end their life, by sending a text while driving.

The consequences of texting and driving can affect you physically, socially, mentally, and emotionally. The physical impact can be the most devastating. The bruises, scars, and broken bones are the physical repercussions. Your bones mangled in ball as you lay hopeless in car waiting for help to come. Internal problems can occur such as internal bleeding from major organs systems. The physical disabilities or damages can harm you socially as well. The harm you experienced physically can limit you in your everyday walk. Your ability to interact with teachers and students may become a difficult task. Intellectually most student sees a decline in their grade as a result of an accident. Being able to attend a birthday party, get a job or graduate from high school may be tough. The mental or emotional repercussions can be the hardest to overcome. The day to day struggle of trying to forget the past can be overwhelming. You might be able to temporarily forget the accident but the stench and dread will always linger. You may be able to handle the emotional side effects but mentally your brain is more powerful than one may think. Emotional grief and sorrows has seasons with peaks and valleys.

There are many horrific ways you can be affected, but just think about all the family and loved ones you will leave behind. That simple action to text and drive can turn fatal.

There is a solution to all these tragic events you hear about the television. You can be a part of team “Wait to Text”. To sign up, pledge to not text while driving at “ItCanWait.com”. Your life is very valuable so do the right thing.